En esta noticia
Donald Trump acknowledged Democrats’ gains in the U.S. Congress and blamed part of the election result on the impact of the war with Iran, though he defended his handling of the conflict. In an interview with Fox News, the U.S. president also said he will use his veto power against bills he considers unacceptable.
“I think part of it had to do with Iran. But at the same time, people understood the importance of what I did with Iran,” Trump said. The president said his actions toward Tehran will have historical significance because, as he put it, “you can’t allow the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon”.
Trump said Iran is “the most dangerous country in the world” and claimed the United States has all but eliminated its ability to pose a nuclear threat. “I think, historically, it’s going to be much more important than tonight,” he said, referring to U.S. policy toward Tehran.
Trump acknowledged Democratic gains
The comments came after Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress in a midterm election that marked a sharp shift in the balance of power in Washington.
The president admitted the war with Iran may have hurt Republican candidates, though he said voters understood the importance of his foreign policy decisions. In this way, Trump avoided directly questioning the election result and also acknowledged his opponents’ performance.
“I think the Democrats did a good job. I really do. I think they did a good job. They fought hard,” he said. He added: “They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting me for a long time. This fight has been going on for a very long time.”
Earlier, he distanced himself from the defeat in a post on Truth Social, saying Republicans lost because his name was not on the ballot. “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” he said.
The new landscape leaves Trump facing a Congress controlled by the opposition in the second half of his term. The president will have to negotiate with Democrats to advance his agenda, while opposition lawmakers will have greater ability to block White House initiatives and push their own bills.
Trump’s veto threat
In that context, Trump recalled that the president still has a tool to stop measures approved by Congress: the veto power. “They’ll send over things that are insane, and I’ll veto them,” he said during the interview.
The president, however, said vetoes will not necessarily prevent Republicans and Democrats from reaching deals. As he explained it, after a series of rejections, both sides could be forced to negotiate to break the deadlock on legislation.
“And after a couple of months of vetoes, they’ll go out and they’ll say, ‘How do we get this stuff done?’ And we’ll work together.” Trump said.
The president also sought to distance himself from a permanent confrontation with the Democratic Party and said he maintains personal ties with members of the opposition. “I have a lot of Democratic friends, believe it or not,” he said.
The new makeup of Congress opens a new period of greater political negotiation for the White House, while Trump will have to manage a more complicated relationship with an opposition that made gains in the legislative elections.